New grad bargaining power?

[allyroo]

I have an offer for a 3 yr contract in a specialty area

Given that as a new grad, you don't really bring much to the table at that moment until your fully trained, what bargaining suggestions do you have for me to try to decrease my contract length to 2 years and counteroffer their base salary (aside from AAPA). They don't offer CME reimbursement so I will mention that for salary but really how do you convince them your worth a few thousand more per year?

[MT2PA]

Depends on the job and your background.  I was able to prove that my career prior to PA school in addition to multiple rotations in the specialty and an extra degree warranted more money.  If you don't have any prior experience that you can wield or anything more than the required clinical rotation that every new grad has, you probably don't have much aside from AAPA reports.

Also, I would recommend nothing more than a 1 year contract.  

Your best bargaining power as a new grad is a willingness to walk away if you don't get a reasonable offer.  If they offer something reasonable but maybe not as much as you WANT, you take it or walk.  If you're desperate and going to take whatever they ultimately offer, you have no power.  All you can do is ask for more but beware if you are fantastically unrealistic they could rescind an offer (not common or likely but don't walk into a job trying to ask for $50k more than they initially offer).

[allyroo]

1 hour ago, MT2PA said:

Depends on the job and your background.  I was able to prove that my career prior to PA school in addition to multiple rotations in the specialty and an extra degree warranted more money.  If you don't have any prior experience that you can wield or anything more than the required clinical rotation that every new grad has, you probably don't have much aside from AAPA reports.

Also, I would recommend nothing more than a 1 year contract.  

Your best bargaining power as a new grad is a willingness to walk away if you don't get a reasonable offer.  If they offer something reasonable but maybe not as much as you WANT, you take it or walk.  If you're desperate and going to take whatever they ultimately offer, you have no power.  All you can do is ask for more but beware if you are fantastically unrealistic they could rescind an offer (not common or likely but don't walk into a job trying to ask for $50k more than they initially offer).

Do you mind if I PM you and ask your opinion on what I am planning to counter with? I don't want to ask anything unreasonable (which I may not know is unreasonable) so another set of eyes would be super helpful.

[beattie228]

Agree with the above. Don't sign a 3 year contract. Team dynamics can change once you're on-board and outside of that initial 'dating' phase of them trying to woo you.

 

Your best resource for negotiating is the AAPA Salary Survey, but take those results with a grain of salt due to participation bias (Sample size of PAs who both continue membership with AAPA and also answer the salary survey does not represent the PA field as a whole).

 

Counter for 1 year contract, CME funds of $1,500 and CME days. As a new grad, attending conferences is crucial for not only your ongoing medical knowledge but also networking with your peers. You didn't mention malpractice or license fees such as state license, NCCPA re-cert and DEA fees (non-negotiable deal breaker for me if they don't cover these. That stuff adds up quickly).

 

As mentioned above, your biggest negotiating power is the mindset to walk away. If they gain the sense that you're in dire need of the position, bargaining power ceases to exist.

[ventana]

1yr max

 

no CME is a huge huge flag.  They are unwilling for you to learn.  Horrible setting for new grad. 

[Colorado]

You DO have value as a new grad, even without additional job specific training. Not as much as someone with experience, but you will still be making the clinic/hospital/group money. As a new grad, I bring in about $30-40,000 in reimbursement to my employer each month and this is my first job as a PA, and I'm only in month 3 of employment. I've already generated enough money to cover my salary and benefits package. Think of it that way if it helps. You have value, you bring value to the practice even if youre only seeing a suboptimal number of patients per day to start.

[ventana]

5 hours ago, Colorado said:

You DO have value as a new grad, even without additional job specific training. Not as much as someone with experience, but you will still be making the clinic/hospital/group money. As a new grad, I bring in about $30-40,000 in reimbursement to my employer each month and this is my first job as a PA, and I'm only in month 3 of employment. I've already generated enough money to cover my salary and benefits package. Think of it that way if it helps. You have value, you bring value to the practice even if youre only seeing a suboptimal number of patients per day to start.

As a new grad you need to learn the business of medicine

 

I am sorry but I find it highly doubtful that you are generating $360,000-$480,000 a year - simply not the case and if you are you are some how committing insurance fraud.  

As well your receivables would just now be starting to come in, if you were already credentialed, which you were not as a new grad....

 

I appreciate your support, but it is dangerous to make such statements when they simply can not be true.  

 

In the first 3-6 months employers typically loose money on a new grad, then 6-12 months might break even, then profit after a year

 

You might be "billing" this type of mos collections are well under 50% so that puts you line with the typical.....

 

 

[Colorado]

2 hours ago, ventana said:

As a new grad you need to learn the business of medicine

 

I am sorry but I find it highly doubtful that you are generating $360,000-$480,000 a year - simply not the case and if you are you are some how committing insurance fraud.  

As well your receivables would just now be starting to come in, if you were already credentialed, which you were not as a new grad....

 

I appreciate your support, but it is dangerous to make such statements when they simply can not be true.  

 

In the first 3-6 months employers typically loose money on a new grad, then 6-12 months might break even, then profit after a year

 

You might be "billing" this type of mos collections are well under 50% so that puts you line with the typical.....

 

 

Thanks for your input, always happy to learn.

I was and am fully credentialed.

Unfortunately no part of the education system and definitely no part of PA training (for my program at least, doubt its much different elsewhere) was focused on the actual business of medicine, reimbursement, etc. It's been challenging to drag this information out of management and I'm always a little suspicious of the information that I am given. I'm working on figuring it out on my own with available resources, but appreciate the input from others who have been in the field longer.

Best advice to the OP is IMO as you said earlier, don't sign a 3yr contract. 

And don't get bullied into taking significantly less pay than you should be paid (AAPA salary report etc.), be ready to walk away if you can.

[BruceBanner]

Short answer is you dont have a lot of bargaining power as a new grad. Bargaining power implies you have something to offer them that other candidates likely dont; for a PA that would be relevant experience (the more the better), clean license/credentials, other CV merits, etc.

I will echo what others have said and tell you DONT SIGN A 3 YEAR CONTRACT.

[sas5814]

Listen to my esteemed colleagues. Don't sign a 3 year contract. I did that once and I hated the job (and they hated me). We finally agreed to part company after 2 years of misery.

1 year gives you and the practice a year to see how you like each other. After a year everyone has a chance to renegotiate based on how everything is going.